Ibrahim Anate, the Acting Executive Secretary of the Kogi State Agency for the Control of Aids, has revealed that more than 50,000 individuals are currently living with HIV/AIDS in the state.

Anate made the disclosure during an interactive session with journalists following a road walk in Lokoja, the state capital, to mark the 2024 World AIDS Day on Monday.

The walk was organized by the Centre for Integrated Health Programmes (CIHP) in partnership with the Kogi State Agency for the Control of Aids.

In his remarks, Anate stated, “Currently, about 50,000 people are living with HIV in Kogi State, with 36,066 individuals actively receiving treatment.”

He emphasized the state’s ongoing efforts to combat the epidemic and raise awareness, particularly in hard-to-reach areas.

“We are working tirelessly to spread awareness across communities, ensuring that people are informed about HIV/AIDS,” he said.

Anate also highlighted the commitment of the state government, under Governor Alhaji Usman Ododo, to provide treatment for those living with HIV and prevent mother-to-child transmission by ensuring that pregnant women living with HIV give birth to HIV-negative babies.

“The current administration is committed to reducing the number of people living with HIV and providing support to the Ministry of Health and KOSACA to take this message to all parts of the state,” he added.

However, Anate acknowledged the difficulties faced by some HIV patients in accessing treatment due to ongoing security challenges in certain areas of the state.

He also appealed to Governor Ododo to sign the recently passed Anti-Stigma HIV Law, which would allow people living with HIV to declare their status without fear of discrimination.

“Once the governor signs this law, people living with HIV will have the confidence to come forward and get the support they need,” Anate stated.

Inyama Lawrencia, the Kogi State Technical Lead for CIHP, also spoke about the challenge of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the state.

She emphasized the need for pregnant women to attend antenatal services to know their HIV status, particularly in light of the financial difficulties many women face, which prevent them from accessing these services.

“We are working hard in the communities to encourage women to get tested, but financial constraints are a significant barrier for many,” Lawrencia said.

A massive fire broke out on Monday at the Oja Agbe market in Moniya, Akinyele Local Government Area of Ibadan, Oyo State, causing extensive damage to goods and property worth millions of Naira.

The fire, which started around midnight, quickly spread across the market, destroying 17 shops, containers, and nearby buildings.

Authorities have traced the cause of the blaze to unattended electrical appliances that were left plugged in.

Witnesses described the devastation, noting that valuable goods stored in the affected shops were completely destroyed.

Kolawole Balogun, the Babaloja (chief market leader) of Moniya Garage, was among the first to arrive at the scene after being alerted around 12:30 am.

He confirmed the scale of the destruction, saying, “I can confirm that goods and property worth millions have been lost.”

Saliu Bello, Chairman of the Garage, added that the fire also destroyed significant amounts of cash that some traders had stored in their shops overnight.

“Some market vendors often keep their money in their shops when they go home, and this was all lost,” Bello said.

Several victims of the fire, including Yetunde Musa, Ajetunmobi Idowu, Olaide Badmus, Balogun Sulaimon, and Ajetunmobi Kolawole, have appealed to the government for assistance in rebuilding their businesses and recovering their losses.

Akinyemi Akinyinka, the General Manager of Oyo State Fire Services, confirmed the incident, stating that the fire was reported to the agency at 00:27 hrs.

He said, “Our personnel, led by ACFS Oyedeji, were immediately deployed to the scene. Upon arrival, we found several rows of shops and container shops on fire.”

The fire service took swift action, preventing the flames from spreading further and saving additional property.

“While millions of Naira worth of goods were destroyed, billions of Naira worth of properties were saved. Fortunately, no lives were lost,” Akinyinka added.

He urged the people of Oyo State to handle fire hazards with care to prevent future incidents and reiterated that the fire was caused by electrical appliances that were left unattended.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja has annulled the 14-year jail term imposed on Harrison Ndika Uchenna, an official of the Nigerian Midstream Downstream Petroleum Regulatory Authority (NMDPRA), after he was convicted by the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) High Court on charges of forgery and using forged documents.

In a unanimous ruling, a three-member panel of the appellate court also overturned the trial court’s one-year prison sentence or N50,000 fine for Uchenna’s conviction on criminal trespass.

The judgment was delivered on an appeal marked: CA/ABJ/CR/634/2022, filed by Uchenna against the judgment handed down on October 11, 2021, by Justice Yusuf Halilu of the High Court of the FCT.

Uchenna had been prosecuted by the police on five counts, which included giving false information to the police, engaging in forgery, using forged documents as genuine, and criminal trespass.

Upon his arraignment, Uchenna pleaded not guilty to the charges.

However, at the conclusion of the trial, Justice Halilu convicted him on all five counts.

The trial court sentenced Uchenna to two years imprisonment or an option of N50,000 fine for counts one, three, and five, while counts two and four related to criminal trespass and the use of forged documents as genuine resulted in a 14-year prison sentence without the option of a fine.

In the lead judgment of the Court of Appeal, Justice Peter Obiorah partially allowed the appeal filed by Uchenna’s lawyer, Dr. Ogwu Onoja (SAN).

Justice Obiorah stated that the trial court erred in convicting Uchenna on the charges of forgery, using forged documents, and criminal trespass, as the prosecution failed to prove these offences beyond a reasonable doubt.

As a result, Uchenna was acquitted on counts three, four, and five, which involved forgery, using forged documents as genuine, and criminal trespass.

Justice Obiorah, however, upheld Uchenna’s conviction for counts one and two, which related to providing false information.

The appellant, Uchenna, has since appealed this decision to the Supreme Court.

In the certified true copy (CTC) of the judgment, delivered on September 23, Justice Obiorah said: “I have resolved issues one and two in favour of the respondent (the prosecution).

The effect is that the conviction of the appellant by the trial court on counts one and two, which are offences bothering on giving of false information, is correct.”

“In the same vein, I have resolved issues three and four in favour of the appellant. This means that the conviction of the appellant for the offences of forgery and criminal trespass by the trial court cannot stand. Consequently, this appeal against the judgment of Halilu, J. of the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja in Charge No. FCT/HC/CR/171/2018 delivered on 11th October, 2021, succeeds in part.”

“The conviction and sentence of the appellant in respect of counts one and two of the charge whereby the trial court imposed a sentence of two years imprisonment with an option of fine of N50,000.00 in respect of count one, and one year imprisonment with an option of fine of N50,000.00 in respect of count two, is hereby upheld and affirmed.”

“The conviction and sentence of the appellant in respect of counts three, four and five of the charge, whereby the trial court imposed a sentence of 14 years imprisonment without option of fine for counts three and four, and sentence of one year imprisonment with option of fine of N50,000 for count five, is hereby set aside. The appellant is hereby discharged and acquitted in respect of the conviction on counts three, four and five,” Justice Obiorah concluded.

Justices Hamma Barka and Abba Mohammed, who were also part of the panel, agreed with the lead judgment.

Two residents, Taofeek Olatunbosun and Rafiu Abdelmalik, were severely beaten by officers of the Nigerian Customs Service and military personnel at a checkpoint along the Badagry-Seme Expressway on Sunday, December 1, 2024, after being caught recording a video.

The security operatives suspected the victims of working as informants for journalists covering smuggling activities on the road. Olatunbosun and Abdelmalik, both transporters, had stopped to refuel and were attempting to update their customers about their location when the incident occurred.

Olatunbosun explained to Vanguard, “We were on our way to Apa when we stopped at a fuel station. My customer kept asking where we were, so I asked my assistant to record a video to send to him. Suddenly, someone tried to grab the phone from my assistant, which caught the attention of the officers at the checkpoint. They accused us of recording videos for journalists investigating smuggling activities.”

The officers then took the two men to a nearby location and contacted Officer Adamu Zakari, a soldier, who arrived and allegedly recognized Olatunbosun, even mentioning knowing his brother.

Despite this, he reportedly threatened to kill Olatunbosun’s brother if he ever saw him again.

The situation escalated when Zakari expressed disbelief at their story and suggested that they should have been killed and dumped in the water, leading to a violent beating.

Abdelmalik, the second victim, added, “I was just following my boss’s orders. One of the smugglers working with the security operatives slapped me and tried to take my phone. We were dragged to a secluded spot near the checkpoint where the officers tortured us, demanding to know which journalists we were planning to send the video to.”

The victims were only saved when nearby residents, alarmed by the brutality, called the police.

Abdelmalik said, “If the residents hadn’t intervened, they would have killed us.” It was later revealed that the same officers had previously warned journalists in Badagry not to report on smuggling activities.

This incident follows an exposé by journalist Fisayo Soyombo, which highlighted the alleged involvement of the Nigerian Customs Service in facilitating smuggling along the Lagos-Badagry Expressway.

Soyombo’s investigation showed Customs patrol vehicles at checkpoints allowing smugglers to pass freely with goods like rice, chicken, and turkey, while also raising concerns about the possible trafficking of illicit drugs or weapons.

In response to the incident, Abdullahi Hossein, the Public Relations Officer for the Seme Border Customs, assured Vanguard that the officers involved would be immediately withdrawn from the checkpoint.

He added, “What they did does not represent our values, and we take full responsibility for their actions.” Regarding the involvement of military personnel, Hossein said, “Because of the sensitive nature of some patrols, we have military personnel working with us. I’m not certain if they were involved in this incident, but we will take responsibility and urge the victims to contact us.”

A group of armed kidnappers reportedly attacked a GIG bus in Kogi State on Saturday, kidnapping multiple passengers.

The bus, traveling from Lagos to Abuja, was intercepted by the gunmen near Obajana, just before reaching Lokoja.

According to reports, the kidnappers seized all the passengers on board, while the bus driver managed to escape unharmed.

One of the kidnapped individuals’ friends took to social media to plead for help, revealing that the gunmen had demanded N100 million for her friend’s release.

“Please, I need your help. My friend, who was attending her convocation in Benin Republic, was kidnapped while returning from Lagos to Abuja. This happened around Lokoja, Kogi State. The kidnappers are asking for N100 million for her release,” the friend wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

“The driver fled the scene. Please, I beg for your help. No amount is too small. Help me bring my friend back.”

A source close to the situation confirmed that the abductors were demanding the same ransom amount for each of the passengers.

Another social media user, who claimed to have witnessed the attack, shared his experience.

“I drove past the scene shortly after it happened. The bus was abandoned with only the driver left. It happened just after the Dangote refinery at Obajana, heading towards Lokoja. The vehicle’s windshields had been shattered.”

The company, GIGMobility, acknowledged the incident in a statement, expressing deep concern over the attack and its impact on those involved.

They called on the authorities to provide assistance in resolving the matter.

“We are deeply affected by this incident and similar occurrences. We appreciate your concern and are actively working with the relevant authorities,” the company said in their post.

The authorities are yet to comment on the progress of the investigation or any efforts to secure the release of the victims.